The battle for left guard and center for the Los Angeles Chargers is going to be two of the most talked-about training camp competitions, and the fight has already begun between a few players. Let’s focus on center, one of the most critical pieces for the Chargers to get right in 2025.
The Los Angeles Chargers Candidates
The Chargers haven’t really had a solution at center for the last year or so since the departure of Corey Linsley, who retired due to a non-emergency heart issue. And since then, the offensive line has struggled.
Center Bradley Bozeman, who was brought in last offseason and signed a two-year extension this offseason, was part of last year’s offensive line issues, and there’s a possibility he will be starting at the position again.
Bradley Bozeman
Let’s start with the good. He was a fierce defender of quarterback Justin Herbert during Week 8 against the Saints, when defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd decided to pull Herbert down by his bad ankle, which caused Bozeman to immediately tackle Shepherd as he came to Herbert’s aid.
During the second quarter of Week 6 against the Broncos, both Bozeman and right guard Trey Pipkins III helped open up a lane for tight end Will Dissly to get a 20-yard gain along with a first down.
And in the Los Angeles Chargers’ 2024 season opener, Daniel Popper of The Athletic noted that Bozeman and Pipkins were a big help on a play with running back J.K. Dobbins. Popper relayed,
“On the fifth play of the second half, Dobbins broke free on a 46-yard run. Johnson and center Bradley Bozeman got to the second level. Right guard Trey Pipkins III just clipped enough of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. Dobbins found the green grass.”
Additionally, Bozeman’s second-highest pass-blocking grade, according to PFF (Pro Football Focus), of the regular season (85.2%) was against a pretty tough opponent, Kansas City, in Week 14.
Despite these bright spots, it wasn’t all roses for Bozeman.
Bozeman had some pretty dismal pass-blocking grades this past regular season, and though he went down in areas like sacks and pressures, he matched 2023’s stat for quarterback hurries (19) and had a couple more in the postseason.
The entire offensive line struggled in the Browns game in Week 9, including left guard Zion Johnson, who’s also being considered for the center position. Both were responsible for sacks during that matchup, including one where Browns defensive linemen Shelby Harris and Dalvin Tomlinson (Tomlinson is now on the Cardinals) got between Johnson and Bozeman during the first quarter to get to Herbert.
Bozeman was also responsible for two sacks during the Buccaneers game in Week 15.
Even though in this particular play Herbert still got the ball to running back Kimani Vidal, while doing so, he got pancaked by Buccaneers defensive lineman Vita Vea. Bozeman contained Vea for a while, but ultimately, Vea changed directions, going after Herbert on the left side. And then in the second quarter, Bozeman was preoccupied with a block, and eventually, when he tried to stop Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David, it was too late, as David pushed right through and chased Herbert down, catching him by his bad ankle, costing the Chargers 11 yards.
Linsley had this ability to just be everywhere, and not only was he so solid and strong, he was really agile for the position, and that quickness seems to be missing at times from Bozeman on some of these sacks, especially in this Buccaneers game.
With Linsley, the play wasn’t over after the ball snapped, and there was a safety in knowing that he was prepared for every scenario, and the same cannot be said of Bozeman.
Andre James
Jason Reed of Bolt Beat may be leaning more in the direction of James for center as he’s not too crazy about Bozeman or Johnson for the role. Reed said in his article,
“If the 2023 version of James comes back, then he should have no problem usurping Bozeman on the depth chart as long as personal feelings don’t weigh into the decision. However, if James plays like he did last season, then it won’t be much of a difference anyway.”
Head coach Jim Harbaugh, during his press conference for rookie minicamp, did have Johnson and Bozeman alternating between left guard and center, but based on his comments, that doesn’t seem to be a permanent rotation. Chris Roling of Sports Illustrated also noted that James was taking reps at center with Herbert this week.
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Reed is right that 2023 was James’ best year with career highs for his average regular season pass blocking (71.2%) and run blocking (75%) grades. Over the course of his career, he’s only been responsible for a maximum of four sacks within a season, which was in 2023, and the most he’s ever had for hurries is 17 in 2022 and 24 pressures that same year.
James began at tackle, then moved to center once the Raiders traded theirs in 2021. According to Levi Damien of Raiders Wire,
“The Raiders liked James because he has quick feet. Those feet served him well as a tackle at UCLA, while his 6-4 stature was more suited for a move inside. That combination of things had Tom Cable thinking center. Even if James was not.”
Looking at some of the All-22 footage from one of his best games against the Ravens last year, you can see a bit of that quickness and strength when it comes to one-on-one blocking. The fact that he never played center in college but was able to learn the position and perform well shows he’s up to the task of playing it under a new scheme with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Zion Johnson
I’ve written extensively about Johnson and was higher on him in 2022 than I am now. His pass blocking and run blocking grades went up a smidge from the regular season of 2023 to 2024.
He helped Dobbins get an 11-yard gain during Week 4 against the Chiefs, while both left tackle Rashawn Slater and right tackle Joe Alt were out. And like others on the offensive line was solid during the Ravens game in Week 12.
Johnson also has speed and had a 20-yard shuttle time of 4.46 at the combine, and in the All-22 footage of Johnson during the Texans game in the postseason, there are a couple of instances of him running from one side of the pocket to the other in an attempt to block a defender coming in. His strength in one-on-one matchups is also evident. But Johnson hasn’t performed to the level of a number one pick.
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His quarterback pressures for the regular season have remained high (33), while he was responsible for the same number of sacks as his rookie year (five) in the regular season and had two more in the postseason.
Like the rest of the offensive line, he struggled during the Browns game. And during the Saints’ matchup, he allowed one of two defenders to smash Herbert, as former Saints defensive end Payton Turner got around him.
Johnson is certainly no stranger to switching positions, as he did have to switch from right guard to left in 2023, but he had played left guard in college, so it wasn’t a big adjustment. Harbaugh is very high on Johnson and said during his press conference that Johnson would be starting at either left guard or center, but despite the praise, his fifth-year option has not been picked up, so this is a make-or-break year for Johnson.
The Verdict
Bozeman, Johnson, and James have all played various positions on the offensive line. Bozeman played guard at times in college and the NFL, and Johnson played tackle and guard in college, while James played tackle in college.
Bozeman certainly has the most experience at center. Bozeman’s play, though, has not been very consistent, and neither has Johnson’s. James is not an amazing center, but like Reed of Bolt Beat relayed, if they can get the type of production they got from him in 2023, he’s not a bad option.
Frankly, all of these choices are not amazing for the Chargers, but perhaps it’s time to go with someone new, and I don’t mean someone inexperienced. James seems to be the best choice, but if Johnson really impresses, James may get knocked out of the running early.